The International Monetary Fund confirmed that the current IMF supported program for Brazil is on track and reiterated its optimism regarding the current administration's commitment to strong macroeconomic fundamentals and improving social equality. The official release reads as follows.

The United States Federal Reserve is expected to leave interest rates unchanged when its Monetary Committee convenes this week. The threat of war and the slowing of the US economy will be the prevailing facts behind the decision according to Wall Street analysts.

The Chilean Senate's approval of the Free Trade and Political Association Agreement (FTA) with the European Union has increased concerns in the fishing industry that the fisheries chapter may compromise the country's maritime sovereignty, despite Presidential assurances on the contrary.